1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a battery pack assembly including structures for locating and securely retaining a battery module within a battery pack housing, and, more particularly, to complimentary structures formed on the battery pack housing and battery module that locate the battery module relative to the battery pack housing, and permit quick connection and disconnection of the battery module from the battery pack housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Battery packs provide power for various technologies ranging from portable electronics to renewable power systems and environmentally friendly vehicles. For example, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) use a battery pack and an electric motor in conjunction with a combustion engine to increase fuel efficiency. Battery packs are formed of a plurality of battery modules, where each battery module includes several electrochemical cells. The cells are arranged in stacks and are electrically connected in series or in parallel. Likewise, the battery modules within a battery pack are electrically connected in series or in parallel. In some conventional battery packs, the battery modules are installed and retained within the battery pack housing using bolts to locate the battery module relative to the housing and nuts to retain the battery module on the bolts. In some conventional battery packs, holes of the battery module are aligned with corresponding holes of the battery pack housing, and a fastener is passed through the holes and retained using a nut. These methods are difficult to use due to space constraints within the battery pack housing which also lead to difficulty visualizing the holes and fasteners. In addition, use of nut and bolt fasteners is labor intensive and time consuming.